Hey all,
I have a quick question about my Space Blue 2006 Checkmate MCS. My wife and I recently drove to and from Portland, OR to Fargo, ND in our Mini. The car handled beautifully, was very comfortable and was a blast to drive!

So, my problem... Of course on a 3,000 mile trip the car is going to get dirty, get bugs on it, etc...No big surprise there. Well, I washed the car-hand wash at a "do-it-yourself" place- a couple of times on the trip. (I never saw any problems with the car or paint after these washings.) Anyway, there were a few days where the car was really dirty-covered with road grime, dirt, etc... and it was pretty hot-90 to100 degrees. I didn't think much of it....until I got back home.

I washed my baby and was shocked to see the back hatch, rear bumper, etc... was "stained" with dirt marks and streaks. I washed and waxed the car THREE times in an effort to get the marks off the car, but nothing has seemed to work. The rest of the car is absolutely fine, which makes no sense to me. It is the weirdest thing I have ever seen. The rear of the car looks like it is still dirty! Does anyone have any ideas? Fixes? Anything?

Thanks,
Paul

 

You need clay. Drop into the detailing forum and do a search for "clay" and you'll learn all about it

 

What he said!

What you had might have been caused by a leaking rear washer nozzle. The washer fluid the stick in the Mini is nasty stuff, and there is a warranty fix for the nozzle. Had it done to mine within two weeks of delivery, and what cracked me up, was when my MA said how strange that was. I pointed to a couple of new Mini's on the lot with leak streaks on the hatch from the nozzle. The MA called the sales manager over, who immediately had all the cars inspected, pulled off the lot for that fix, and detailed.

 

I have heard of the washer nozzle problem before, but would that account for the marks all over the back of the car? I mean I have a streak already on the paint from the washer, but this is all over the back of the car.

 

Pics?

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I just clayed the back of the car and there was absolutely zero improvement. I also tried some Meguiar's waxes but nothing has helped. ARGH!! Anybody have any other ideas.

 

Okay well hold on first.

Before you clay, you want to make sure you have no wax on. You can either make a mix of half rubbing alcohol/half water, get a paint cleanser, etc. Otherwise, you can just clay through the existing wax, but it will take longer.

Also, claying can take a LONG time to remove stuff. I clayed a scuff mark off my car recently and I literally had to go at it for 15 minutes or so.

Take some pictures and post them. There are some serious detailing experts on these forums that can help, but they'll want to see it, first. But I am betting a good long round of clay is what will work.

 

Here are the pics.

 

Hmm. Did you drive through a lot of rain/puddles? That looks like baked-on water to me.

 

Wow - clay had no impact !?!?!

Hmmm... well, only other option is to polish (NOT wax)... with a Meguiars, Prima, etc. polish (preferably using a PC or other polisher) - could start with some ScratchX - multiple applications, rubbing well with an applicator until it turns clear each time - and see if that makes a dent in it - otherwise it's starting to sound like clearcoat or paint failure... ugh...

 

Hmm....well, now you have me wondering. I cleaned the car-again- and then tried the clay (pretty aggressively) for about 10 minutes, but I didn't see any improvement. Hmm....I have never heard of the rubbing alcohol trick. I am certainly willing to try that next. By the way, I'm using the Meguiar's clay, if that makes any difference.

 

Don't bother...there are not really any issues with claying over a waxed surface.



Your going to need some polish. If you have a Porter Cable Dual Action Polisher, it will make the work a lot faster.

I would highly recommend the Menzerna line of polishes, and can even sell you a sample of one to get the job done for you.

 

Yup, clay isn't going to get that out. You'll need to buff that with a mild polish. There are tons of polishes and you'll get a lot of advice on that I'm sure. ScratchX is fine since it sounds like you can find Meguires stuff locally. Even ScratchX by hand will get that out.

Focus on one small spot about the size of you fist. Wipe it on, then rub it until it breaks down ... this can take a lot longer than you think. 3-4 minutes by hand.

You can go ahead and polish without removing the wax you just applied. A couple rubs with polish and the wax is long gone...

Looking at those two photos I'm certain you'll get these out. If you had a Porter Cable polisher and a couple polishes I keep in my cleaning kit I could almost guarantee it.

 

Moved this thread to Detailing 101 for more suggestions

 

Time for OctaneGuy to wade in on this one.

 

I think ScratchX will definitely take care of it...just take your time and work it in really well.

 

I'm here, I'm here!!!
Yeah by the looks and quantity of the mess, I would do a few things.
1.) Can you feel this? Does it feel like residue on top of the paint? Rub lightly along the edges--can you feel a transition from the paint to the residue??

2.) Do you have a magnifying glass? I'd say a 5x, 10x, or 15x would give you a very clear idea of what this stuff is.

3.) Could this be sap? Did you park under a tree for any length of time? Could this be some type of residue? Have you tried some Goo Gone to see if it helps??

4.) When using clay bar, especially the Meguiar's consumer clay, it might take 100 strokes before you notice a difference. First make sure the clay is clean--it's white, so it's easy to tell. Spray QD lube on the paint and apply moderate pressure and rub--is the clay gliding or does it feel like it's got some resistance? Work on a small 2" x 2" area, rub back and forth around 30 times. Look at the clay. Is it still white? Or does it look grey or other color? If so, then you're making progress. Keep at it. Feel the paint surface, does it feel any smoother?

4b.) Before jumping to the PC, get some ScratchX or Prima Swirl, and a foam applicator pad and rub it like mad on a portion of the bumper. Your finger will hurt and get cramped, the MINI will be bouncing around, and do this until the polish turns from white to a light translucent look. Wipe it off, repeat this 4 more times, then inspect the results. If it's improved, then Step 5 will be the next course of action.

5.) A Porter Cable dual action polisher would be your best friend here. With a Prima Orange pad and some Prima Swirl, a few minutes of polishing--best with a tape line on the paint so you can see the before and after immediately would let you know whether a polish will remove this residue.

Richard

 

I'll do my best to answer these questions! By the way, thanks everyone for your help so far.

1.) Nope, I can't feel anything and there is no physical residue or transition. The back of the car has been waxed, clayed, washed, etc... numerous times so the entire thing is smooth as a baby's rear.

2.) Looked with a magnifying flass and neither my wife nor I can't tell what it is. It appears to be a bit grayish/white, but that is about all we can deduce. It almost looks like streaks or pathways of water, if that makes any sense.

3.) It definitely isn't sap. I have lived through that horror before, so I'm wise enough to not let that happen again. Most of the trip was spent on I-90 or I-94 and even when we stopped someplace, I made sure we didn't park under a tree. The thing I keep coming back to is the fact that the only place this appears is on the rear of the car. The rest of the car is absolutely fine, which makes no sense. And another thing, the stain appears to be "cooked" on to the paint, since I can't feel any difference and the paint feels very smooth to the touch. Frustrating! I have not tried Goo Gone yet. I was trying to go the safest, most gentle methods to begin with.

4.) Yeah, I definitely used the clay enough to see if it works. I used it on a very light scratch on the driver's side door and it definitely took care of it. I usually start with very little friction and then as I keep going the friction increases slightly. I am using a pretty fair amount of pressure, by the way, and the clay ALWAYS stays white when I use it on the back of the car. I easily used the clay for over 10 minutes on the same 4"X4" spot and nothing happened-the paint always feels smooth.

4a.) Okay this is my next step. I am going to see if I can find the ScratchX tomorrow and give it a shot. It doesn't sound like it will be a fun experience though. "Wax on, wax off."

5.) Oh how I wish I had a Porter Cable polisher. Sigh.... someday.

 

More like, wax(polish) on, and in, and in, and in, and in, and in (alot), then wax(polish) off. You need to keep scrubbing scratch-x until it turns from a white color to a clear color.

 

AHHHH!!!! Oh dear God, hand cramps here I come.

By the way, I'm hoping you caught my Karate Kid reference there. I know you are young, but if you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm going to feel really, really old.

 

Looks like hard water deposits.

 

So I used the ScratchX today and there was a slight improvement. The streaks are still there although they certainly are not as noticeable as they once were. I was soaked with sweat when I was done, so the streaks were not coming off because of a lack of effort on my part. I went over the entire back end a few times, although I only did small sections at a time.

So, any other thoughts? Should I just keep going over the back with more ScratchX?

Thanks,
Paul

 

Sounds like its time for some more power. I would recommend trying Prima Swirl and then, should that fail, Prima Cut. But if there was any way you could even just borrow a PC it would increase your chance of success.

 

I did catch it, don't forget to paint the fense up, paint the fence down, long smooth strokes

 

almost sounds like you drove through some tar/fresh oil... try some WD40 or
gasoline and see if that works. make sure you toss that wad of towels
in your tin can.